A cat owner whose beloved pet was found dead after a dog attack has warned others that "we live in a dangerous world".

Meghan Strong, from Gravesend was left in shock when she got a call to say her companion, Molly the cat, had been found dead in a bush.

The 22 year-old received a call from Animals Lost and Found in Kent after a good Samaritan handed Molly over to them.

Miss Strong said: "The passerby saw a group of four or five boys with a ginger, brown and white springer spaniel. They said that the boys looked like they were up to no good and the dog appeared to have something hanging out of its mouth.

"As they approached them, one of the boys shouted a command to the dog to drop what was in its mouth and then another boy kicked it under a bush and they all ran off down another path.

"She realised that it was a cat that was deceased and she called Animals Lost and Found in Kent who checked for a microchip and then we were informed of the incident."

The retail assistant added: "I heard the news, my heart broke and I felt sick to my stomach.

"Losing a pet is always hard, but losing a pet in the way that we did, brings a type of pain and sadness that I can’t describe

"The thought of Molly fighting for her life in the mouth of a dog that was commanded to kill her by those boys, shocked me.

"Our hearts are still broken and we are just taking each day as it comes as time is the best healer.

"I am just grateful that she can be buried with her family. To some people, she may just be a cat, but to us she’s part of our family and we love her dearly.

Since the attack on Molly, Miss Strong is urging people to be on constant alert and to protect their pets and their children.

She added: "Our society seems to be taking a turn for the worse and our animals and children need our protection. I don’t want anyone to ever feel the type of pain that we have been faced with.

"I truly believe that if a dog or even a child had walked past during the incident, the dog wouldn’t have just stopped with my cat. The owners of that dog have obviously trained it to kill for whatever purpose and I don’t think they really care what or who gets hurt.

"We live in a dangerous world nowadays and we all need to support and look out for each other. I’m already overwhelmed with the amount of support I have gotten from my community during this tough time. Appreciate who you have, while you have them, because you never know when they’re going to get taken away from you."

Police spokesman Nicola Foreman said: "Kent Police received a third party report at 7.50pm on Thursday 4 April which said a cat had been killed by a dog in a nearby park earlier that day.

"Officers are awaiting further information."

Anyone with information is asked to call 101 with the reference number 04-1576.

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